Cadets

A group of Marshall County military cadets are being hailed as heroes after what some call the largest fire in three decades at Culver Military Academy. It happened in the South Barracks building early Monday morning, where many of the academy's band unit live. Ten cadets were taken to the academy's infirmary, where they were treated and released after breathing in too much smoke. But officials say it could have been much worse if not for some quick thinking that likely saved lives. "A student was trying to study late at night, and put a cloth over the light so he wouldn't disturb his roommate.

CULVER Â? A group of Marshall County military cadets are being hailed as heroes after what some call the largest fire in three decades at Culver Academies. The fire happened in the South Barracks building early Monday morning, where many of the academy's band unit live. Ten cadets were taken to the academy's infirmary, where they were treated and released after breathing in too much smoke. But officials say it could have been much worse if not for some quick thinking that likely saved lives.

SOUTH BEND -- The two Clay High School juniors, rifles in hand, uniforms neatly pressed, stood at attention Wednesday, silently, steadily marking the observance of Veterans Day. For nearly half their lives their country has been at war, but the five JROTC students, four juniors and one senior, are too young to be veterans, too young to know the horrors of war, the honor of sacrifice. But, they say, they are learning. For 12 hours Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the five students marked the passing of Veterans Day by standing guard at the Military Honor Park near the South Bend Regional Airport.

Caleb Campbell will graduate from West Point this spring, but if heÂ?s lucky heÂ?ll be drafted, an unusual goal for a newly-minted alum. Campbell, a strong safety for the Cadets, will be Â?excused from his five-year service commitmentÂ? if he lands on an NFL roster. Sports Illustrated reports that his military responsibilities would be to Â?serve as a recruiter for the Army during and after the NFL season, speaking to young people and working at the local recruiting office wherever he plays.

SOUTH BEND -- The two Clay High School juniors, rifles in hand, uniforms neatly pressed, stood at attention Wednesday, silently, steadily marking the observance of Veterans Day. For nearly half their lives their country has been at war, but the five JROTC students, four juniors and one senior, are too young to be veterans, too young to know the horrors of war, the honor of sacrifice. But, they say, they are learning. For 12 hours Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the five students marked the passing of Veterans Day by standing guard at the Military Honor Park near the South Bend Regional Airport.

Given the sad reality of Indiana's high school dropout rate, any attempt to help make a dent in those numbers is worth a closer look. The Hoosier Youth ChalleNGe Academy, which opened this summer in Edinburgh, is one such effort. That said, this military-style program, run by the National Guard, clearly is not for every dropout -- literally and figuratively. According to a recent Indianapolis Star report, just one month into the five-month program, half the program "cadets," who are unemployed but have no felony charges or convictions, had washed out. As you might expect, given the program's pedigree, the focus is on discipline and structure.

On June 11, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech to the cadets at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., on the occasion of the academy's centennial. He told the assembled crowd of cadets and dignitaries, "...of all the institutions in this country, none is more absolutely American...than this. " Roosevelt knew that members of the Corps of Cadets "represent with almost mathematical exactness all the country geographically ... drawn from every walk of life.

DOWAGIAC -- Where there's smoke, there's fire. There's also, fortunately, people who know what they're doing when it comes to putting fires out. Budding firefighters or not, a group of area high school students and/or recent graduates gathered Thursday, just off Middle Crossing Street, to extinguish a pair of purposely set vehicle fires. The 11 cadets, as they were labeled by Amy Anderson, director of Southwestern Michigan College's Educational Talent Search program, were assisted by full- and part-time Dowagiac firefighters as they hoisted a hose and took turns controlling the nozzle that, ultimately, put out the spreading flames from the separately set fires.

MILITARY NOTES Sarah E. Balser has graduated from the Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) Leader Development and Assessment Course at Fort Lewis, Tacoma, Wash. Cadets in their junior and senior years of college must complete the leadership development course. Upon successful completion of the course, the ROTC program, and graduation from college, cadets are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army, National Guard, or Reserve. Balser is the daughter of Jerry Balser of Springtown, Texas, and Donna Maggart of Osceola.

SOUTH BEND -- The two Clay High School juniors, rifles in hand, uniforms neatly pressed, stood at attention Wednesday, silently, steadily marking the observance of Veterans Day. For nearly half their lives their country has been at war, but the five JROTC students, four juniors and one senior, are too young to be veterans, too young to know the horrors of war, the honor of sacrifice. But, they say, they are learning. For 12 hours Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the five students marked the passing of Veterans Day by standing guard at the Military Honor Park near the South Bend Regional Airport.

SOUTH BEND -- The two Clay High School juniors, rifles in hand, uniforms neatly pressed, stood at attention Wednesday, silently, steadily marking the observance of Veterans Day. For nearly half their lives their country has been at war, but the five JROTC students, four juniors and one senior, are too young to be veterans, too young to know the horrors of war, the honor of sacrifice. But, they say, they are learning. For 12 hours Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the five students marked the passing of Veterans Day by standing guard at the Military Honor Park near the South Bend Regional Airport.

Adam Spenner , a senior at Culver Academies, received Scouting's highest honor after meeting with the Eagle Scout Board of Review at the LaSalle Council headquarters last month. The Eagle Board reviewed details of Adam's Eagle Scout project, which involved re-establishing the native shoreline at Vogelei Park pond in his home town of Hoffman Estates, Ill. For his efforts, he was awarded "The Best of Hoffman" by the Hoffman Estates Park District in December 2008. Spenner joins an elite group of individuals who demonstrate leadership, service and dedication to Scouting's timeless values to earn the honor of being called an Eagle Scout.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) -- At the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Lt. Col. Aaron Kalloch found himself in the midst of Saddam Hussein loyalists. Kalloch, Central Michigan University's new chair of the military science department, fought resistance forces during two tours of duty in Iraq. "Our brigade was stationed in the Haifa Street area north of the Green Zone in Iraq, which was right where ... all the Saddam loyalists were," he said. "We ended up with over 200 casualties, and a soldier next to me got shot.